Colin Beazley's Pirates chat: 07.10.26
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Colin Beazley
12:00
Hello everyone from an Amtrak somewhere in Central Pennsylvania. I'm on my way to Philadelphia for All-Star festivities; Matt Press will have coverage of Pirates-Brewers before the break. Looking forward to answering as many questions as I can. It's been too long since I've done one of these.
12:03
Off that, a bit of a programming note: My weekly schedule will change a little bit after the All-Star Break. Nothing major, but we'll be moving chats/mailbags to earlier in the week. I'll probably be chatting a little more often, though still will do plenty of mailbags. Anyways, let's get rolling.
Seven
12:03
Hi Colin, thanks for your time. It has become apparent that the Pirates are, once again, about one half of a competitive team. Last year no hitting, this year the pitching seems beyond salvageable for a team that entertains a playoff run. What are they willing to sacrifice in terms of young talent to acquire enough arms to be, at best, a wild card foot wipe?
Colin Beazley
12:06
Hey Seven, thanks for saying thanks. Fascinating how drastically this team has flipped from a pitching-led team to an offense-led team this year. Though I do feel confident at least some of the pitching will rebound.

As for your question, I'm not expecting the Pirates to go after the huge, one-year prizes a la Skubal etc., but they do recognize there's an opportunity here. I'd expect them to be open for business on just about anyone in the system, save Florentino and Hernandez, for the right pitching help. But I also don't think that this is just a one-year window. If there's baseball in 2027, they're set up to be good next year, too.
Raise it
12:06
some of GMBC’s in season moves this year aren’t looking good.  Alina Williams would look a lot better today than having to call up Jack Brannigan to replace K Griffin.  Also the J Bart for Hunter Stratton trade is a head scratcher.  Could these moves really have been to cut a little salary?  I don’t see the baseball logic.  Your thoughts?
Colin Beazley
12:10
Funny how those work out. Both made sense at the time, but now that half of the starting lineup is sidelined, those players would probably be in Pittsburgh.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the baseball logic then was the Pirates didn't need either player. Bart was the third catcher, Williams wasn't a 40-man candidate. That said, there'd been talk of moving Bart (and his salary) for months. Williams was on a minor league deal.
Greg in Greenville
12:10
Colin, do you think the Pirates will make any impact trades or are we doomed with the current roster?
Colin Beazley
12:12
Call me crazy, but I don't think the Pirates are that far away from competing with the current roster. Two steady relievers can fix the bullpen. The lineup's fine. I'm more concerned with the questions around the starting rotation.

I struggle to see the Pirates being the highest bidder on an Aroldis Chapman (and the Red Sox are suddenly hot), but I think the position they're in isn't a bad one.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:13
Why hasn't Santana been demoted to AAA or DFA'd. He has been terrible all season and his ball has no movement as he throws meatballs down the middle all the time. He is killing the Pirates right now. There has to be better arms down on the farm I would assume?
my3sons
12:13
When will the Pirates release Dennis Santana?
Time to go
12:13
It's 12:01 PM. Why is Dennis Santana still on this team ? Shouldn't he be on an Amish farm plowing crops ?
Colin Beazley
12:17
Time to talk Dennis Santana. Figure I might as well group the questions together.

I'll start with Santana is out of options, so he can't just be sent to Triple-A to figure things out. It's here or a DFA. It's been a wild fall for someone who was stellar in '24 and '25 and was essentially the closer entering the season.

It goes without saying how much it would help the Pirates if Santana were to revert back to last year's form, and for a few weeks in June, it looked like he might be getting there. But he's struggled badly lately, and it's getting harder and harder to see it turning around.
12:18
As for arms on the farm, not really. We'll talk about Antwone Kelly, Noah Murdock and Thomas Harrington later, but a Triple-A bullpen is a Triple-A bullpen for a reason.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
12:19
Keller needs to be sent to the bullpen or down to the minors as the Pirates cannot afford to trot him out there and be down 4-0 in the 3rd inning during all his starts. The Pirates will make the wildcard by a game or miss out by a game so every single game could mean the difference of making or not making the playoffs. Carmen needs to get back in the rotation, and they need to trade for bullpen help.
epiballo
12:20
How can they keep running Keller out there when Carmen is pitching so much better out of the bullpen and when he was a starter. Send Keller to the bullpen and never use him. Isn't he the worst in MLB at giving up hits with RISP? Nice guy, but he has got to go.
Gene
12:20
What is wrong with Keller he never seems to get better. Can he be fixed?
Illinois Bucco
12:20
Why won’t this team return Mlodzinski to the starting lineup and send Keller to the bullpen as a “bulk innings” guy? OR, make him the closer? Wasting Mlod’s talent.
Colin Beazley
12:23
Lot of Mitch Keller questions too. I don't have answers on exactly what's plaguing him either. He simply hasn't been the same guy. Lefties have an .843 OPS against him this season.

Like Santana, Keller cannot be sent to the minors. Unlike Santana, I don't think that's what the Pirates would do even if they could. Different guys working on different things.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Keller can do with the All-Star Break. It sounds like he's planning on reevaluating some things, working on his mechanics, etc in this mini-break that he'll get now. Major changes are near-impossible to make mid-season, but this is a good of a chance as you get.
12:27
Now for the Mlodzinski part of that -- something that feels important to note in all of this is that the Pirates happen to need Mlodzinski in three different spots right now. Their rotation is struggling, they don't have a bulk reliever, they need a right-handed leverage arm/closer. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they only have one Mlodzinski. (Up to you on if his current role has addressed any of those three, though.)

I can't say with confidence that switching Mlodzinski and Keller would solve any of the Pirates' problems, though. Mlodzinski would probably make the rotation better, but would Keller help the bullpen? What would his schedule look like as someone who has made all of two career relief appearances? And how does any of it affect the group as a whole?

I don't think this is something the Pirates are at all considering, and I don't think it's something they should be considering either. But they do need to find something to get Keller on track.
Florida Bucco
12:27
What are the chances Cruz, Horowitz, Endy and Sisk are back after the all star break?  What happens to Valdez when everyone is healthy.
Colin Beazley
12:29
Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz are both progressing in Florida. Sounds like we'll get an update after the break. Expectation is a July return for both, it seems. They'll both need rehab appearances.

I haven't heard anything at all on timelines for Sisk and Endy. Didn't seem like there was a high level of concern.

As for Esmerlyn Valdez, he's earned a spot on this team. He's on some run here.
Greg in Greenville
12:29
Colin thanks for the great work that you do. If the Pirates don't stay in the wild card hunt do you think they would finally get rid of B.C.?
Colin Beazley
12:31
Thank you, Greg. If the Pirates completely fall out of playoff contention, I can't see them running it back for year eight, even if the Pirates are in a decent spot overall. "Period, full stop" and all that. If they're right around .500 at the end, in a similar spot to where they are now? That's a different conversation.
DennisSC
12:31
How much are bus tickets to Indianapolis?  Asking for a few members of the pitching staff.
Colin Beazley
12:32
Not sure on the price of bus tickets, but shoutout Amtrak for a very reasonably priced ticket to Philadelphia. Booking in advance helped plenty, but I was pleasantly surprised.
12:33
Demosthenes Time!
demosthenes98
12:33
I enjoyed Noah Hiles's article today about how Konnor Griffin came to be a Pirate. It got me wondering, though--when a player gets taken in the MLB draft, what sources of information does he get to consult as he decides whether or not to sign? Does he have to rely solely on the team itself? Or are there independent sources (the MLBPA? local journalists?) who can give him unbiased information so he really knows what he's getting into with some of the losing-addicted scumbags that own MLB teams?
Colin Beazley
12:40
I also enjoyed Noah's article. Highly, highly recommend checking that out if you haven't already. Here's the link: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2026/07/10/konnor-griffin-...

Deciding whether or not to sign is a very educated decision. You talk with the team, but also your agent, your agent talks to other agents, you can talk to players etc. The MLBPA is certainly involved. Everybody talks in baseball.

I don't think any draftee would reach out to a reporter who he doesn't know for advice on a life-changing decision. Plenty of other, more qualified people. But to answer your second question about the advice I'd share for any first round draftee as they decide whether or not to sign — the top 50 picks all have a slot value of $2m+, all the way to $11m up top. That's life-changing money and really, really tough to turn down.
demosthenes98
12:40
Do you think the rise of NIL and direct payments to college athletes might make it more likely that MLB draftees with college eligibility remaining will choose college baseball over signing with MLB teams with incompetent ownership?
Colin Beazley
12:41
I don't think "incompetent ownership," in your words, is a huge factor in a draft decision. Pitchers don't want to pitch in Colorado, for example, but that doesn't mean they'd turn down several million to do so.
12:42
But NIL is a factor, especially for later picks. College baseball NIL isn't competitive with the top draft picks, but it is later on in the draft. That can matter.
demosthenes98
12:42
In all, how many picks do the Pirates have in this year's draft? How many of them do you anticipate they will be able to sign? Is the latter number more likely to be a single-digit number or a double-digit one?
Colin Beazley
12:45
Pirates have 22 picks. Depends on their strategy. Last year, they signed 18/21, which is generally about where teams end up. The only real surprise was failing to sign Angel Cervantes, which hurt then but gave the Pirates pick No. 51 this year.

So double digits. Anywhere above 16/17 is expected in the MLB draft.
Baron Dionis
12:45
In your opinion, what went into the decision to promote Thomas Harrington over other options like Noah Murdock? Felt like Jose Urquidy is worth another look, but threw seven innings last night. Any insight on that move?
Michael
12:45
José Urquidy Named Indians June Player of Month. Why are he heck haven’t the Pirates brought him back up? He just constantly trying guys like Cam Sanders? They have to know he isn’t MLB ready.
Colin Beazley
12:50
We've reached July 10 and we're pining for Jose Urquidy. Can't say this is the spot I expected to be in.

In case you haven't heard, Pirates are calling up Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly ahead of tonight's game. No word yet on the corresponding move. Move is primarily because the Pirates simply need some fresh arms after how heavily the bullpen was used yesterday.

I was somewhat surprised by Harrington, though I can't fault the Pirates for trying something new. As for Urquidy, he has been far better of late. Wasn't an option today because he threw seven innings yesterday. What's bizarre with Urquidy is how there's been several clunkers to go with primarily good starts. Maybe he'll get a shot at some point, but the Pirates see him as a starter instead of as a reliever. As of now, there's no vacancies.
Mike
12:50
what do you think explains the low attendance for Pirates games this year? Best team in quite a while, but few fans.
Colin Beazley
12:51
High prices? Not sure. It takes time to earn fans' trust back. I see why fans are frustrated by this team, but they are a competitive ballclub.
Baron Dionis
12:51
The draft is in like 25 hours, probably unlikely that the CB pick is moved at this point right?
Colin Beazley
12:53
There's still some time. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported this morning that teams are still expecting it to be moved before the draft, 6+ teams have reached out and the price is "a good MLB reliever." Don't have much to add to his thorough report.
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